


A Perfected Recipe

by CYCLOPSCORE



Series: Amidst the Fragrant Flowers [11]
Category: Violet Evergarden (Anime)
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, Love Triangles, Pasta, Winter, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28611810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CYCLOPSCORE/pseuds/CYCLOPSCORE
Summary: There is a heavy snowstorm in the winter morning, and Violet decides to cook a familiar dish for her girlfriends.
Relationships: Amy Bartlett | Isabella York/Luculia Marlborough/Violet Evergarden
Series: Amidst the Fragrant Flowers [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820110
Kudos: 19





	A Perfected Recipe

Across Leiden, from the land to the skies, everything was white. The roads and the roofs of houses, down to the trees, all was covered in a thick layer of snow. This layer was only becoming thicker and thicker by every passing moment, as more snow accumulated. Even the sun could hardly be seen, from the immense amount of falling flakes of white in the air.

This was a perfect snowstorm, Violet thought, staring to the white scenery outside. Not too long into the winter, and having just returned from a trip, the snow had suddenly grew more intense in the night. Even compared to the forests of Ctrigall or the mountains of Eustitia, the snow she was seeing was something else entirely. It was certainly not a good way to start the weekends.

She turned to her bed, where Amy and Luculia still slept. Even amidst their sleep under thick quilts, they seemed to be shivering. Violet turned to the heater next to her, and turned it up, keeping the house warm for her girlfriends. Braving the shivers, she placed a wooly blanket over them to supply extra warmth.

Clearly, there would be no way they could get out for breakfast under such conditions, Violet knew without doubt, as she was walking towards the kitchen, putting on a thick bathrobe. They would have to cook, as usual.

However, Violet did not want to awaken her precious angels, even though it would always be them to do the cooking. They deserve their beauty sleep. So, she would be the one cooking for once, even as she acknowledged how little she knew about such things. As she thought of this, a brief feeling of fear made Violet shiver more than the cold ever could. She knew very well, she cannot cook something poorly for her girlfriends. She feared the disappointed looks on their faces. So se had to cook something nicely. But what should she even cook anyway?

Taking a step into the warm pantry, Violet knelt down on the floor, opening the cupboards to find whatever ingredients she had at the moment. Many ingredients were inside, as Violet was the type who always prepared for situations like these. The first thing that greeted her was a pack of pasta, spaghetti to be precise. 

Considering on how to use it, Violet opened the refrigerator neck to the cupboards as well, and she saw a portion of bacon, some eggs and olive oil. Violet then felt some nostalgia. Ah, it was all too familiar.

Four years ago, a client, a playwright who bore the name of Oscar Webster, requested for carbonara pasta to be cooked. Violet did as she was told, even though she knew nothing about how to cook. She could not crack an egg, and the pasta ended up as one giant slag. Oscar tried to be nice in his critique, but it was clear, as Violet now knew without a doubt, that it was a failure.

For a normal person, they would want to stray from trying to make a failed dish, but for Violet, she thought otherwise, now being wiser, and having more understanding on what needed to be done. One aspect on cooking she had thankfully trained herself in, under Amy and Luculia’s behest, was solely on cooking pasta like these. She was mostly successful, from Bolognese to Risotto. Though, she had not been taught this dish, nor did she ever think about making it... until now.

Violet affirmed with resolution, that she would set things right this time. She would make a good Carbonara, for her girlfriends, for her reputation. But of course, the necessary instructions will still be needed. Violet then further fumbled through her cupboards, searching for the elusive recipe. It did not take too long, since Violet loved to keep her papers neat and tidy. 

With that found, Violet prepared the ingredients and placed them in one spot, along with the equipment, from pots and spoons to skillets. With that set, she made a quick reading of the recipe to ensure she did not mess up any of her steps done. With some reciting, the instructions were now clear in her mind. 

Getting some water from the tap to fill the pot, Violet then set it on the stove, before flipping the stove switch to get it boiling. Once the water starting bubbling, she promptly put the sticks of pasta inside. It will take a while before they became al-dente, Violet reasoned, as she lightly stirred the water with the spoon, witnessing the pasta slowly losing their rigidness.

Well, it should be the time to prepare the other ingredients, she concluded. As the job as an Auto Memoria Doll taught her, it was very important to know how to multitask at the right time. With that, she started working on the eggs, cracking them into a bowl. Back in Oscar’s house, she couldn’t break one without either the contents all over the place, or some eggshell fragments ending up in the bowl. Well, now she only needed one try to get the egg white and yolk in the bowl perfectly, without any shells lodged inside.

The hands of the clock continued to move, and so did the Earth in face of the sun. The waft of cooked pasta spread across the entire cottage, across the hallways and down the rooms. 

Violet had finally finished the dish, pouring the creamy sauce into the three bowls full of soft spaghetti. Taking a fork as a final test, she grabbed some spaghetti, twirled it, and raised it up. No, no more did the pasta end up in one slag. The strips could untangle flawlessly. Before she could grab the plates and move them to the dining table, a pair of hands clutched hold on her from behind.

“Mmm? Amy? Luculia? It seems you two have woke up.”, Violet muttered. “I had just finished making breakfast.”

“Good morning, Violet. You could have waited.”, Amy responded with a chuckle, letting go of her arms, and where Luculia followed suit. Violet turned to them, where the two were also wearing bathrobes to shield off the cold, and their hair still messy and unkempt. The two then gave Violet a quick kiss on the cheeks.

“Why did you not want us to help?”, Luculia asked in confusion. Violet clicked her tongue a few times, trying to make an answer. “A few. Firstly, I did not want to wake you two up... secondly, I guess I wanted to test myself...”

“Well, let’s have a try then!”, Amy responded with enthusiasm, as the three took one plate to the dining table. Of course, the dining room was rather cold even with the windows locked, so the heaters were similarly set up, before they had their serving.

“Soft... easy to unwind...”, Luculia muttered, twirling a strand of spaghetti with a fork, before placing it in her mouth. She then made a small grin, visible even though the end of the fork was still cast in her mouth. “Tastes good!”

Violet heaved one sigh of relief. Now that was one man clear. Now, it was Amy’s turn to be the judge. “Neither too salty nor too bland... well, this will be fine.”, Amy muttered, chewing on the spaghetti. Now, Violet felt her fears fading. Finally, the pasta had been a success. Just then, she saw Luculia and Amy turn to her. 

“Urrr... Violet? Why aren’t you eating?”, Amy asked, with a confused timbre. Violet shuddered as she heard this, realising that she indeed hadn’t touched the plate in front of her. “I guess I was a bit anxious... I wanted to see your opinions first... if it was bad, then I would try to got out and get something instead...”

“You were scared that the pasta would taste bad? But it’s delicious!”, Luculia replied with enthusiasm. Violet, in response cleared her throat with a small cough. “This was a dish I had to make for one of my clients. It was my first, and it was a terrible attempt.”

“And you sure have improved since then.”, Amy promptly finished. “Come on, just try for yourself. You will taste with your own tongue, and see how good you are now at making this.”

Slowly, Violet did as she was told, scooping some spaghetti with her fork and eating it down. A strong flavour resonated in her tongue. Taking the fork out of her mouth, Violet slowly chewed down, then gulped. “Nice.”, she responded, almost as if in a trance.

“See? You don’t need to be so scared. You did well!”, Amy commented, lightly clutching on Violet’s free hand. “You don’t get it.”, Violet corrected. “I am fine with eating poor-tasting food. But you two? I can’t allow that.”

Amy and Luculia looked at each other, before turning back to Violet. “And even so, we would still eat it, if it’s made by you.”, Luculia commented.

Violet was stunned. Rationally, no one wants to have a bad taste in their mouth. So why? But then she understood. Of course. It is not the taste, after all. It is the heart put into it. “T-thank you for the compliment.”, Violet muttered. It made here feel warm inside, enough to make her feel at ease, even in the face of the cold environment.

“No problem, darling.”, Luculia responded, before moving her upper body across the table to quickly peck Violet’s forehead. With that little gift given, she turned to the windows, where she made a small expression of surprise. “My, the snow has stopped falling. They are also... being cleared.”

Violet, continuing to finish the rest of her pasta, peeked through the window. The snowstorm had indeed died down. Snow ploughs were also out and working hard on the streets, making a pavement for the public. More and more people were strutting out of their homes in their coats, now being able to attain the meals they so desperately needed. But they never understand, the sentiment of a home-cooked meal. To speak of it, as Violet realised, her mouth felt rather dry. What a coincidence. There was something that needed to go with a meal. 

“I think we will need a drink to go with this. Should I prepare hot cocoa?”, Violet muttered, standing up from her seat. And yet, as she tried to do so, two hands pushed her back on her seat. 

“You’ve done enough, Violet. There is no need to burden you any further, with us awake.”, Amy spoke, with a tone of worry. “Why don’t you have us make some?”

Violet would normally refuse to let others do the work. But for this occasion, she felt that it would actually hurt them if they did not let them do it. “Very well. Take your time.”, she responded, as the two nodded and walked to the kitchen. As the smell of chocolate slowly spread through the dry air, Violet, unlike her usual stance of perpetual seriousness, let herself loose, reclining back to her chair. Out came a deep breath, which became mist in the cold air.

“Major, is it alright that I get spoiled for a while? They really want to do it for me, after all.”, Violet muttered to the open air. Even though there came no response, for the Major was no longer here, and Violet needed no response for such a rhetorical question, she seemed to pick it up in the blue. “I think it will be a yes.”

Soon, Amy and Luculia returned with three mugs of hot chocolate, one for each. Luculia, the one carrying two mugs, passed one to Violet, who held it carefully with both her mechanical hands. 

“Hey... not that it is still bad now or anything... but why did you want to cook a dish you were once bad at making?”, Luculia questioned, while sipping on her hot chocolate. “Were there not any other ingredients in the fridge?”

Violet became stumped. “Was there?”

“Yeah.”, Amy confirmed. “There were tomato sauce, minced beef... you could make Bolognese. You made it before with our guidance, and it came out well.”. There came an uncomfortable pause. “But you chose to make this dish, which you failed at making the last time, and we also did not teach you to make either. Again, it came out well, but it still confuses me, Violet.”

Violet looked at her own hands. “When I saw the ingredients for the Carbonara, my eyes became hooked to it. Maybe I really wanted to try to make it properly this time. Try to succeed. I guess I could not see the other ingredients at that point.”

Both Amy and Luculia widened their eyes. “Seems to me that you really hate to fail.”, Luculia commented. “That’s a side of you I’ve rarely seen.”

At this response, Violet could not help but frown. This hatred of loss, it was an admittedly impolite and uncouth habit for a maiden like her. But admittedly, there were some misunderstandings. “Amy, Luculia, you do not understand. I have always hated failing.”

The two froze. Violet sounded so... weary and downbeat. “It hurts to fail, you see. I’ve seen things where I tried, but could not do anything. Many times. And every single time, there is suffering that results from it.”

Violet took a deep breath. The frown became a smile. “So when you said you two would still eat it even if it was bad, I got rather relieved, alongside a bit of surprise.”. Violet’s tone was no longer weary. It was now full of enthusiasm and confidence. “Thank you.”

Amy and Luculia stared at each other. Without a word, they both hugged Violet tight. “You’re welcome.”, they responded in unison.

Pulling away, the three continued to drink down the hot cocoa, and chat for the rest of the morning. “You know, when Taylor comes over again, could you cook this for her?”, Amy asked Violet, sincerely wanting her little sister to taste this wonderful treat.

“Sure.”, Violet responded, fine with such a mild suggestion. She then looked at the window once more. And then it hit her. Silly them, they always nearly forget. “Speaking of that, since it is the weekends, we should pick up Taylor soon, right? We promised that she could always stay with us during the weekends.”

Amy pondered for a quick while. “Actually, we don’t need to.”. Amy quickly glanced at a parchment that was opened, lying on a cupboard. “I got her letter yesterday. That lady will take her to us. I was initially worried that they would have a problem with the intense weather from earlier, but it seems that now, this is no longer an issue.”

Violet made a small smile. Then that meant that there would be some work to do. Work she was content with doing. “Then I should prepare more.”, she muttered. Finishing her cup of cocoa, she walked back to the kitchen, and checked her ingredients. Just enough ingredients to make one more bowl. Taking a deep breath, she started to cook that dish once more.

But this time, she was not alone. Amy and Luculia stood by her, wordlessly dealing with the various ingredients, helping to make the dish and making Violet’s work easier to handle. Once again, Violet felt no need to relieve them of this.

Violet slowly, but surely, felt the joy inside her heart growing. This was not just due to their help, but all that has happened in this start of the day. It seemed that doing such domestic activity, both for and with them, it really was a wonderful thing to do.


End file.
